Feed-in tariffs, quota obligations, capital grants, and subsidies will continue to be instrumental in promoting Europe's renewable energy industry growth by 2020
---Renewables accounted for around 40% of the EU's total power generation capacity added in 2014, with Germany the clear leader for installed capacity, says report

Overall module price improves globally this week, owing to the price quotes in different regions moving up by currency exchange rate or the demand improvement. The increasing large-scale solar projects moving forward are driving up module demand, especially in India and China. Moreover, as the demand continues to heat up in China and the emerging markets, some top-tier module suppliers are able to adjust their selling prices up in those low-priced regions.

Of the 326 Gigawatts (GW) of current coal power capacity in the US, a potential 60 GW could be lost by 2020 due to government's Clean Power Plan (CPP)
----'With the US boasting significant renewable power potential, the CPP has created a huge opportunity for companies in this sector,' says analyst

By Sophie Vorrath for RenewEconomy: The key role energy storage will play in the electricity grids of the future – and the vital importance of investing in and testing the various emerging battery storage technologies – has been highlighted in a major report published by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency on Monday, which predicts a 40-60 per cent price plunge for certain battery technologies by 2020.
The 130-page report prepared by AECOM predicts a “mega-shift” to energy storage adoption, driven by demand – from both the supply side, as networks work to adapt to increasing distributed and renewable energy capacity, and from consumers wishing to store their solar energy – and by the rapidly changing economic proposition; a proposition, the report says, that will see the costs of lithium-ion batteries fall by 60 per cent in less than five years, and by 40 per cent for flow batteries. Cont'd...

Cloud-based software is one technological advancement that can pay dividends in the development and management of a wide variety of renewable energy projects, from wind farms, solar farms and geothermal plants to hydropower and biomass facilities.

UK offshore wind installed capacity to increase more than fivefold from 4.5 Gigawatts (GW) in 2014 to 23.2 GW by 2025
---Government continues to support offshore wind with contracts for difference, to help lower generation costs in the long term, says analyst

Affected by the final results of the US DOC AD & CVD review, Chinese module makers are forced to rise up their module selling prices in the US, which results in also pulling up the average selling price of other manufacturers, including Korean, European, and even American companies. Hence, the average multi-crystalline module price is moderately moving up this week

Seeking to help states better address the value proposition of solar+storage systems, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC) engaged Clean Power Research (CPR) to develop a methodology that could be used to value solar energy coupled with battery storage. The methodology described in the report can be applied in any location. It focuses on Hawaii as an example, as it is likely to be an early adopter of storage regulations.
"The concept of adding batteries alongside a utility customer's solar array intrigues utility customers, solar developers, and utility planners on several levels, but the underlying question for everyone is whether adding batteries is 'worth it,'" says Jason Keyes, Partner at Keyes, Fox & Wiedman LLP, attorney for IREC and report collaborator.
Though still at a nascent stage, the recent rapid growth in the distributed energy storage market suggests that now is an opportune time to take a closer look at distributed energy storage, especially in combination with distributed solar, and the values it has to offer. The new IREC study lays out the methodology to do just that and sets forth a pathway for more robust analysis and dialogue. Cont'd...

Overall Module price performed a mild drop this week, as global demand is gradually recovering since late May. Multi-crystalline module price stands still in China, as the demand is improving slowly. In the US, solar demand is promisingly increasing, although some solar module suppliers are trying to raise price quotes accordingly.

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